Take It Easy
by ciao c u o r e
Summary: Sumino Haruka can see the souls of the dead. Hyper-aware of her strange skills, Haruka denies it completely. Once she runs into a frustrated shinigami, she can't ignore it anymore. Her whole life is about to change. OCx?
1. An End Like No Other

**_An End Like No Other_**

**Author's Note**

Hiya! So actually, I was formerly xXvitaminXx on but I lost my password and made a new account. Feel free to call me Ciao! And since I could no longer access my old account, I couldn't update my previous fan fictions! DX Thus, I've resorted to reposting them all—or at least, most of them. Please keep in mind that the canon who is to be paired with Haruka is a mystery so far (hence the OCx??). So, it says Renji now but that's subject to change every few chapters. I hope all my new and old will enjoy this _revised _and _retitled_ version of what once was "One Step at a Time"~

* * *

_Haruka_

It's too late to be out alone in the dark like this, and already, I regret not having accepted Kou-kun's offer to walk me home. Puffy, black clouds hang low overhead and I know I'll probably be running around blindly in the darkness of the rain in no time at all. My mother would be worried sick to know that I'm not home so close to midnight. Thankfully, she's away on a business trip to Tokyo. She's so fussy and nosey all the time; like when she sees me with a boy, when she suspects I'm hurt or sick, and especially when she doesn't know where I am. I mean, I didn't know my mother until my dad passed away and I came to live with her in the first year of middle school but it was never awkward between us. It was like she had been there all along.

I'm thinking too much, I should try to get home before worrying about anything else.

"Damn it! Just where the hell am I!?" an agitated voice speaks loudly with a grunt. I look up from my suede boots and stop worrying about getting them wet and ruined for a minute. The guy has bright red hair in spikes, what's more is that he's wearing a samurai outfit. A cosplayer? Out in the streets of Karakura Town at this time of night? I eye the dark glint at his hip and notice a sheath. Typical, a cosplayer it is. "How the hell am I supposed to find this friggin' place!? Ugh!" This guy was really angry, or so it seems.

"Excuse me, are you looking for some place?" I ask politely but the redhead doesn't respond. Okay, maybe he didn't hear me. I take a step closer and tap his left shoulder lightly as I ask again, "Hi, do you need any help—?"

"WOAH!" the guy screams in my ear as he jumps back, surprised. His right hand flies to the hilt of his toy sword and his eyes are wide in shock, panic and uncertainty. He stares are me in confusion, is something wrong? "Wait ... you can see me?" Um, what? What was this guy talking about? It might be dark out but I wasn't completely blind.

Unsure of how to respond, I nod slowly and wonder if this was the right thing to do in such a situation. I open my mouth to offer some directions (if I can since, well, I don't happen to be faring so well in directions back home) but I'm interrupted by a strange sound ...

A low hiss; the sound lasts only and instant. I turn towards the bushes and wonder what could have possibly have made the noise. It almost sounded like a lizard or a snake, but it wouldn't feel so loud if there was a reptile in the trees at the other side of the clearing. I squint and watch the brush as it sways and rustles. I want to take a step towards the noise, go investigate, when the redheaded stranger shouts, "Get down!" Without understanding why, I do as told and duck. A little too late.

When I open my eyes again a horrific sight awaits me: a grotesque monster around ten feet tall crouched on all fours and hissing at me. It's got dark green-brown flesh like the surface of a rock, a long tail like that of a snake and a strange bone-white mask in the shape of a lizard's head. Right now the blood spilling from my forearm bothers me little; there are more horrifying things at hand to be dealt with. This monster isn't like anything they showed on the nature channel, it isn't like anything in this world … in my world.

"Don't just stand there! _MOVE_!" the man orders as he yanks me by my uninjured arm towards him. I see it take another swipe for my head but I'm spared by mere inches.

"Just what is that thing!?" I sputter as I back-shuffle away from the waiting beast. I feel scared and repulsed at the same time. It looks so ... out of this world, it's a hundred times worse than what you see in horror movies, because in movies, you know it isn't real but this? This is very real.

"That's a Hollow; you see souls, right?" I nod frantically as the shinigami uses his katana to fend off an attack from the raging monster. "Well, this—ugh!" the redheaded man grunts as he knocks it back another few feet, "this is also a soul, but it's more like an—" he gets cut off again as the Hollow makes another advance, "it's like an evil spirit!" he finishes in a hurry. I gasp as the Hollow lunges for me again. "And I'm a shingami, which means—umph!" another deflection, "my job to is to get rid of these guys!"

I always knew it wasn't normal being able to see these people that everyone told weren't there. When I was younger my dad would put up with my so called hallucinations and pretend that he too could see them. As I grew up, I learned to keep it to myself; this way, nobody treated me like a psychopath.

"Shinigami-san, look out!" I shriek as the lizard-like beast, which had retreated to the brush for a second, lashes out from our left. Instantly, the shinigami wraps his left arm around my waist and jumps up to dodge its attack. I look down and I'm shocked to see that we're so high up. A blur of motion in my peripheral vision punctuates this awe and I don't even have time to warn the shinigami f the hard, calloused tail swinging at his back. There's a 'thud' as the shinigami loses his equilibrium and I slip out from his arms.

As I hit the hard pavement I hear a sickening crack from my right shoulder and I just know it's a broken bone. The air of my lungs are expelled in one breath and I have to gasp for air. It hurts so much. I try to scramble to my feet but I'm too late. The Hollow is already coming at me with its vicious clawed limbs pointed. I can't even scream as I shut my eyes. I don't have to see to know what happens now. It's claw slices against my abdomen and I feel hot blood seeping into my favourite cardigan before the searing pain. I can't tell which way is up or down anymore but suddenly, the side of my face is parallel to the ground.

"Damn it!" the shinigami's voice sounds far off, muffled as if it's coming from behind a heavy wall. My eyelids are heavy and I wonder, is this death? I feel so tired that the pain doesn't even bug me anymore. I see the shinigami is injured also; we don't have a chance, I think as I let my eyelids droop again. I feel more and more like I'm being detached ... from me.

"Shinigami," I call weakly, and I don't even know why. You would think that in your moment of death you should remember your family and friends. I should be asking for okaa-san and otou-san, or Kou-kun and Ayame.

"It's over," he tells me in a low, resigned voice. "There's nothing else I can do."

And for the first time tonight, I cry. This can't be it, I'm just a girl! I'm supposed to have a life ahead of me! "Please, there must be something!" I beg as my vision is clouded by tears I don't bother to fight back. Every moment feels like an eternity right now.

"Just one." But I understand that there's a catch; and I don't care. I still haven't confessed to Kou-kun, apologized to Ayame, forgiven my father or let my mother know I love her too. I don't want to leave so much unfinished. I nod weakly, every movement harder than the last. The shinigami climbs to his knees and used his katana to support himself as she crawls over to me.

"Shinigami-san, I ... I'll do anything, I just can't leave so much unfinished like this." My voice is so quiet that I wonder if I said that at all.

"My name isn't 'Shinigami,' it's Abarai Renji." He manages a weak smile.

"Sumino Haruka—" and so suddenly he brings his katana down on my heart that i can't even process what's going on. A Hollow charging at us from a few feet's distance, a piercing sensation of the katana forcing its way through my heart. The sharp pain lasts only a second and everything changes.

I open my eyes and I'm standing upright with a katana in my hand. Instinctively I draw my arm back and catapult my hand forward, severing the arm of the Hollow completely. The Hollow lets out a yelp in pain as it jumps back before charging once more. "Put everything into your sword and aim for the head!" Renji shouts and I raise the sword high above my head and bring it down as hard as possible against the bone mask. I stagger back from the impact but I can see that the Hollow has gone. There is nothing but a scattered pile of dust to show it was ever here.

"Is it over?" I ask, letting my tired eyelid droop again.

"It's over."

"Thank goodness," I mutter and I don't have control over my own body anymore. The katana slips from between my fingers and I hear it clatter against the cement before my arms and legs go limp. My knees buckle under my own eight they had easily supported until now and I feel myself falling back but a pair of strong hands grip my shoulder and in an instant, I'm strapped over somebody's back.

"It's all over now ... Well done, Sumino." With that last affirmation the world slips away from my mind and everything is comfortably dark. How nice it is to sleep.


	2. But Hold On

**_But Hold On_**

**Author's Note**

Oh right, I forgot to mention: this is set a few weeks prior to the Souls Society Arc in the series~ And don't ask why Haruka's meeting Renji is so similar to Ichigo's meeting Rukia; I did it on purpose, to draw parallels. Without further ado, here's chapter two!

* * *

_Haruka_

I think, I must have had a horrible nightmare. I lie awake with my eyes closed, my head rested comfortably on my pillow. How strange it is to be lying awake without opening one's eyes. A persistent beeping noise interrupts this serenity. I usually like to wake up by ten at the latest on weekends but last night's dream was so strange that I want to stay in bed a little longer. I reach out blindly for my cellphone on the bedside table and flip it open then closed to turn off the alarm. There's a nice, gentle late-spring breeze coming through the window. It feels pleasantly restful not to have to face the sunlight beaming in through my open window—wait, my _open _window?

I sit up straight and rub my eyes violently to force the morning haze to disappear from my vision. Was it all just a dream? Or did I bump my head too hard at Ayame's birthday party last night? I reach over to the empty half of my too-large bed groggily and my hand brushes against something warm—like another arm. I can just picture the deer-in-headlights look in my eyes as I stare at the owner of the arm. Long, bright red hair, tattoos, a white undershirt ... Why isn't any of this ringing the slightest of bells!? What in the world happened at Aya's party!?

Carefully, I turn around in my bed and quietly lower my feet onto the ground. I eye the strange man in my bed warily as I stand up slowly, as silently as I possibly can. Finally, I turn away from the bed; I don't think he's heard me so hopefully he'll keep sleeping until I call Aya and ask her what kind of alcoholic drink she forced me to consume last night. The first thing I come to face when I turn away from the bed is a girl wrapped up in a black kimono top. The girl's long dark brown hair and facial traits are eerily familiar.

"_Kyaaa!_" I shriek as I realize that the girl I'm looking at is none other than myself.

"A Hollow?" the redheaded man demands as he jumps up, startled by my public display of shock. "Alright, Sumino, where's the fire?" he inquires flatly as he rubs the back of his head—which he banged against the post of my four-poster bed. "How can you stand being up this early after we both nearly became Hollow-chow last night?" he asks as he rubs his eyes and swings his legs over the side of my bed. Oh! Abarai Renji, the shinigami!

"What is she— I mean, what am I doing over there? And why are you in my bed? At least wear more than your undershirt if you're going to creep into my bed!" I scorn in frustration. Okay, so all of last night's stress is starting to catch up with me. I reach for the large stuffed elephant on my bed and aim it for his head before firing.

"Oof! That's an excellent way to treat someone who carried both your soul _and_ your body back home for you!" Renji spits as he chucks my poor little elephant on the floor. That's a gift from Kou-kun! He can't treat Zouzou like that! "I had to go through your bag to find anything with your address on it, and after I put you," he points at me to indicate my 'soul', "I had to take the other you and clean up your wounds since you were bleeding all over the floor! And I even had the decency to wipe off all our blood from your front door to here!" he fumes angrily.

I watch him carefully and wonder when he'll explode next. I smiled sheepishly and offer, "Umm, thank you? Abarai-kun?" And it occurs to me, wait ... if he treated my wounds, there's no way he could have done that without _undressing_ me. The guilty and uncertain look on his face shows that he knows exactly what I just came to understand. "_You pervert!_ You looked didn't you!" I accuse as I pick up the fallen Zouzou and launch the elephant plush back in Renji's face. Kou-kun won't be too happy to know that his present to me was being this abused today.

I guess it must be out of guilt or something since Renji just takes the hit and stand still, looking away—his face red as a beet's. I cross my arms across my chest and plop back down on my bed, staring at my other self. It's been about a minute since we've been sitting awkwardly like this.

I decide to break the silence, "So, how do I get back in there?" I indicate my empty husk of a body laying limp in the ivory Victorian loveseat.

"Well, that would be easy if you'd just stop emitting so much reiatsu," Renji mutters as he puts up his hair and ties his headband around his forehead.

With Renji talking about rei-whatever, I can't help but say "Huh?" My what? I shake my head in confusion as I indicate for Renji to turn around so I can dress my other self up.

"Reiatsu, your spirit energy. With the amount you're emitting right now, getting you back in your body would be like getting a hyperactive three year old to go to sleep at eight o'clock!" Renji exclaims with his back to me. Odd analogy. How am I supposed to know how much of this 'spirit energy' I happen to be radiating or whatever? "You don't feel anything." Renji states upon reading the blank expression on my face.

"Okay, turn," I order and toss the black kimono piece to him. I shake my head; it would probably be easier if I knew what I was supposed to feel.

"Calm yourself down, try to concentrate on your surroundings," Renji advises and momentarily I want to tell him that he sounds like one of those zen yogi people. This is impossible, I try to think less about my friends and the plan that we had made for lunch today—which I may miss if I'm not in my body, of course. What could I possibly tell them when they realize I'm running too late? What if Kou-kun decides to come to my house!? Oh my god, what will I do when he walks in and sees Renji and jumps at all the wrong conclu— There's a strange ripple, like a faint vibration in the air. Is this the reiatsu that Renji keeps talking about? Something's wrong: whatever that was that made that strange rupture in my surroundings, it wasn't me.

"We'll save the lesson for later, seems like we have another one to take care of." Renji flips open a cellphone as he ties up the front of his outfit. "Dolphin fountain at plus or minus five minutes from a quarter past ten."

"How do you know this stuff?" I ask as I try to peer over at Renji's cellphone while following him out to my balcony. It takes me a moment to process what Renji plans on doing by how he's positioned himself half on top of the railing. "Hey! You can't jump from here! We're on the ninth floor!" I blurt it all out in one breath and it just sounds like a huge mumble.

"I'm not jumping down, we're going across," the redheaded shinigami corrects as he swung his remaining leg over the rail, and I don't miss the 'we' in his statement. "We'll leave you body behind, it'll be safer alone over here anyway." Renji grabs me by the wrist and pulls me closer to the edge.

"No way, it's impossible! I'll die!" I protest as I try to resist the pull on my arm. Of course, what strength I can muster is no match for Renji's and Renji casually throws me over his shoulder. I'm about to protest again when Renji suddenly puts me back on my own feet and looks at me strangely. With his hands still under my shoulders, he picks me up again—lightly—and puts me back down again.

"You hardly weight anything," Renji notes in surprise. "I swear you were heavier last night," he breathes silently and he seems to realize now, that he carried two of me last night. "Must be an eating disorder," Renji says and nods to himself.

"Ballerinas aren't supposed to have much body mass," I begin the usual explanation I use on anyone who feels so inclined to ask, "A professional ballerina must have a height between a hundred and fifty centimetres and a hundred and sixty-eight centimetres, have small heads, arched feet and ideal limb-to-torso ratios." I rattle off breathlessly.

"Ballet, huh?" Renji repeats, intrigued. "Tell me about it later. Off we go!" Just like that, before I can start complaining again, Renji has catapulted off the rails of my balcony and on to the roof of the corner store opposite my bedroom window.

* * *

"If you're a ballerina," Renji gasps between his fits of uncontrollable laughter. Renji was still laughing from having watched the video-taped TV advertisement for my ballet studio (which naturally starred me as the principal dancer). He finds it hilarious that anyone would want to dress up in tights and puffy skirts to jump around on stage—of course, the TV commercial doesn't have me on stage but practising alone in the empty studio to Chopin's Raindrop's prelude. "Where did you learn to handle a sword?" Renji inquires as he grabs the remote control and rewinds again.

I roll my eyes as I show up on the screen of my television in an arabesque penchée. I have it all memorized, and now I'll fly across the screen in a grand jeté before it cuts to a shot of me sitting down in the dark room, stretching my tired limbs. Renji snickers as he rewinds back to the grand jeté again and again; I've lost count how many times he's seen the position now. I snatch the remote out of his hands and turn off the television.

"Hey, I was watching that!" Renji complains as the screen dies into blackness. I cross my arms and toss the TV remote onto the recliner.

"My dad had me take fencing lessons as a kid." And never did I think that the day would come when fencing would become useful in my life.

"'Fencing'?" Renji repeated in confusion. "What in the world is 'fencing'?"

"It's a foreign type of swordsmanship," I explain as I stretch my arms overhead. I mean, it's great to be in my own body, but boy did I ache everywhere! Must be that last Hollow we fought at the Dolphin Fountain.

"No wonder your movements are so ... erratic. I thought it didn't look like regular kendo," Renji mutters as he leans back against the large cushions on the couch. "Oi, Haru, you have anything to eat? I'm starving." Less than twenty-four hours of knowing him and he already has a nickname for me.

It's almost noon, meaning it was about time for lunch. "I'll see what I can cook up," I say without explicitly stating that fact that I am also dying for some food. I haul myself up to my feet and hobble into the kitchen, mom's least favourite place in the world. She used to say that dad swept her off her feet with three things: his looks, his vast knowledge of poetry (clichéd, isn't it?) and his superior cooking skills. Since mom couldn't cook without wrecking a pot every week or so, the chore naturally fell into my lap when I moved in with her.

"Zarusoba?" Renji guesses as his head materializes over my shoulder. I shriek in surprise and nearly spill boiling water all over myself. "Woah! Gee, no need to overreact!" he huffs as he steps back with his hands in the air.

"Overreact? You're the one who shows up out of nowhere and scare me like that!" I accuse as I fling some of the fallen noodles into the sink. What a mess, there are little puddles of hot water that was flung out the side of the pot and stray noodles here and there. "Abarai-kun, please just go and sit down quietly without making things anymore difficult for me?" I plead as I take the small towel hanging from the cabinet overhead and mop up the water carefully.

"Pfft, 'making things difficult'," Renji grumbles, obviously unhappy that I'm evicting him from the kitchen. He's just like a kid! I mean, is this really worth getting so worked up over? Just because I tell him to go sit quietly? "Oh, and Haru," Renji calls from his seat on the couch. "Don't call me by my last name, it sounds too formal—" he pauses; this isn't the way he wanted his words to come out, "What I mean is, I'm calling you by your first name so you should too; if I called you Sumino-san now, that would just feel awkward, get it?"

I smile to myself and shake my head in amusement. It's not obvious but I can tell this is Renji's way of trying to close the awkward gap between the two of us—I mean, here we are alone in my apartment after having known each other for less than a full day. "Sure, Renji." I peer over my shoulder to check for a reaction of some sorts and catch Renji smiling as he makes himself comfortable in his seat.

_Ding dong._

Huh? Who could possibly looking for me? I quickly dump the noodles into the strainer and hurry out to the door. Renji just observing silently as I do so. "Who is it?" I ask as I reach for the doorknob.

"Haru-run? It's me, Kouta."

Kou-kun!? What was he doing here!? I let go of the doorknob immediately. "One minute!" I call as I rush into the washroom. I yank the my hair of of its ponytail and shake it loose to make it look more natural. I whip off the indigo apron and notice Renji standing the doorway of the bathroom, watching in amusement as I try to make myself more presentable. "Go hang this on the rack next to the fridge, will you?" I ask as I toss him the apron. I fix the flipped and curls hems of my cotton dress as rush over to the door where Renji is sitting. He already explained that nobody can see him—or me when I'm out of my body—but it's still creepy to have him watch everything.

"Heh, this gets more interesting by the second," Renji says with a smirk. "Go on, answer the door, 'Haru-run'." He's mocking Kou-kun. I swear that when all this is over, I will murder Renji.


End file.
